Ive recently bought Dragons kit of this tank. I’ve done it knowing that the inner parts of the bridges are poorly/insufficiently detailed.
In threats here at Armorama it has previously been discussed whether this was an A5 or an A2 upgraded to A5 version
As far as I can see the engine deck is n A2???
However the coupulas seem to be later versions???
Would anyone please comment this, preferably illustrating the original coupulas of the A2 AVLB

Hi Kenneth,

in case if you did not see detail pictures of the Bundeswehr version of M48A2 AVLB, here is a link:

http://www.primeportal.net/bridging/dieter_krause/m48_a2_avlb/index.php?Page=1

I think this is one of the vehicles that is displayed in the museum at Stammheim.

Also, you could contact me offline...

Greetings
Andreas

I’ve alrady seen them Andreas - but thanks for pointing them out.

It’s because of these pictures I feel sure that the enine area is an A2 model, but also why I’m wondering how the A2 coupulas look like as they ar clearly different from those of the kit.

Hi Kenneth,

Bundeswehr AVLB`s were fielded in 1960. The cupolas must be the original model that was retained by Bundeswehr. Maybe the kits cupolas are added afterward to increase visibility for the crew.

On another thread here it was said the Dragon kit is based on a late bridge launcher mechanism retrofitted to the M48A5, so it is basically the M60-style gear rather than the earlier M48 gear seen on BW tanks. One of the bigger changes is the location of the main piston's attachment on the hull - the kit has it at the front of the turret ring, while the earlier BW has it at the rear. The plate over the turret ring is laid out differently, and has the earlier WWII-era "vision" cupolas instead of the much later manholes with vision risers as seen in the kit.

I wanted to make a BW AVLB and thought this kit removed the need for a big scratchbuild, but looks like I'll be doing a fair amount of kitbashing to get what I want with the DML kit as the basis. Oh well...